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Chapter 1 Introduction
Referral of the Bill
1.1
On 29 November 2012 the Selection Committee referred the Electoral and
Referendum Amendment (Improving Electoral Administration) Bill 2012 (the Bill) to
the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (the committee) for inquiry
and report.
1.2
The Bill was introduced into the House of Representatives on the same day
by the Minister for Defence, the Hon Stephen Smith MP, on behalf of the Special
Minister of State, the Hon Gary Gray AO MP.
1.3
The Selection Committee outlined the following reasons for referral:
REASONS FOR REFERRAL/PRINCIPAL
ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION:
To further scrutinise the Bill
to ensure consideration is given to any unintended consequences.[1]
Overview and purpose of the Bill
1.4
The Bill is described in the Explanatory Memorandum (EM) as implementing
the Government’s response to recommendations 3, 9, 10, 11, 15, 29 and 30 of the
committee’s report entitled The 2010 Federal Election: Report on the conduct
of the election and related matters.[2]
1.5
These recommendations are:
Recommendation 3
The Committee recommends that relevant
legislation governing the protection of personal data collected by the
Australian Taxation Office (ATO), which would prevent the ATO from providing
enrolment relevant data to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), be
amended to allow such data to be shared with the AEC for the purposes of
facilitating enrolment.
Recommendation 9
(unanimous)
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth
Electoral Act 1918 be amended, wherever appropriate, to specifically
provide that a ballot box containing votes cast by electors may not be opened
before the close of polling other than in accordance with the relevant
provisions of the Act.
Recommendation 10
The Committee recommends that the
requirement at section 200DH of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 for
an applicant for a pre-poll ordinary vote to complete and sign a certificate be
repealed.
Recommendation 11
The Committee recommends that section
200D of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 be amended to provide that
an application for a prepoll vote cannot be made before the Monday, 19 days
before polling day.
Recommendation 15 (unanimous)
The Committee recommends that
subsection 184(5), and any other relevant provisions, of the Commonwealth
Electoral Act 1918 be amended to provide that the deadline for the receipt
of postal vote applications be 6 pm on the Wednesday, three days before polling
day.
Recommendation 29
(unanimous)
The Committee recommends that section
72, and any other relevant sections, of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
be amended to provide that, where an augmented Electoral Commission has formed
an opinion that its proposed redistribution is significantly different to the
Redistribution Committee proposal, a further fixed period be provided during
which the actions required by subsection 72(13) of the Act are to be
undertaken.
Recommendation 30
(unanimous)
The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth
Electoral Act 1918 be amended to provide that, where a further fixed period
is provided during which the actions required by subsection 72(13) of the Act
are to be undertaken, the number of days specified in subsection 72(2) of the
Act also be increased by the same number of days provided for in the further
fixed period.[3]
1.6
The Bill amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (the
Electoral Act), the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 (the
Referendum Act), and the Taxation Administration Act 1953 (the Taxation
Administration Act).[4]
1.7
The Bill contains provisions that:
- set out the
procedures to be followed when a ballot-box is opened prematurely, that is,
before the close of the poll, other than in accordance with the relevant
provisions of the Electoral Act and Referendum Act;
- require ballot papers
included in a ballot-box that is opened prematurely to be excluded from
scrutiny;
- remove the
requirement under the Electoral Act and Referendum Act for an applicant for a
pre-poll ordinary vote to complete and sign a certificate;
- provide that pre-poll
voting cannot commence earlier than 4 days after the date fixed for declaration
of nominations for any type of election or by-election;
- brings forward the
deadline for applications for postal votes by one day from the Thursday before
polling day to the Wednesday before polling day;
- provide for further fixed
periods of time to be provided to the augmented Electoral Commission (as
defined in section 70 of the Electoral Act) to complete its inquiries into
objections against proposed redistribution of electoral boundaries;
- amend the Taxation
Administration Act to allow the Commissioner of Taxation and other taxation
officers to provide some forms of taxpayer information to the Australian
Electoral Commission for the purposes of administering the Electoral Act and
Referendum Act; and
- make a number of
related minor and technical amendments.[5]
1.8
In his second reading speech, the Minister stated that the Bill ‘will
substantially improve the interactions that Australians have with elections and
referendums’.[6]
1.9
The EM notes that ‘costs associated with implementation of the measures
contained in this Bill will be absorbed by the Australian Electoral Commission
from existing resourcing’.[7]
1.10
The EM also incorporates a statement of compatibility with human rights
that concludes:
The Bill is compatible with human rights because it does not
limit the right to vote contained in Article 25 of the ICCPR. To the extent
that it contains provisions that indirectly limit this right (provisions
dealing with the ballot papers), those provisions are nevertheless reasonable
for the purposes of paragraph 10 of General Comment 25, on the basis that they
are necessary to ensure the integrity of the voting process and will only apply
in very limited circumstances. The Bill does not limit the right to privacy
contained in Article 17 of the ICCPR. However, to the extent that they limit
the right to privacy, those limitations are not arbitrary or unlawful. They
are reasonable, necessary and proportionate to achieving the legitimate aim of
enabling the Electoral Commissioner to directly enrol a person and update a
person’s enrolment.[8]
1.11
Schedules 1 and 2 of the Bill are each in two parts. Part 1 of each
schedule contains the amendments and part 2 contains the application provisions
for these amendments. Schedule 1 contains the main provisions of the Bill
except for the postal voting amendments which are in Schedule 2.
Premature opening of a ballot box
1.12
The Bill sets out new procedures to be followed if ballot boxes are
opened before the close of the poll, other than in accordance with the
Electoral Act.
1.13
Item 24 of the Bill inserts a provision (section 238B) before section
239. Under section 238B, an officer who becomes aware of an unauthorised
opening of a ballot box will seal the ballots in a parcel to give to the
Divisional Returning Officer (DRO). None of these sealed ballots will be
counted. Item 32 inserts an equivalent provision (section 41AB) before section
41A of the Referendum Act.
1.14
Consequential and other technical amendments to the Electoral Act are
made by items 25 and 26 and to the Referendum Act by items 49 and 50. These new
procedures will also apply to a poll taken in Antarctica.
1.15
At the 2010 federal election, ballot boxes containing pre-poll ordinary
votes were opened prematurely at pre-poll voting centres (PPVCs) at Oaklands
Park in the division of Boothby (SA) and at Blackwater and Emerald in the
division of Flynn (Qld).[9]
1.16
The AEC became aware of this breach shortly after polling day and issued
media releases declaring the seriousness of the matter. The AEC engaged the
services of a former Electoral Commissioner, Mr Bill Gray AM, to undertake an
urgent examination of the facts surrounding each incident and to report his
findings and recommendations.[10]
1.17
In his report, which is provided at Appendix C, Mr Gray concluded that
the incidents were polling official errors, not tampering, and therefore
recommended:
- That the training
materials and working manuals for the OIC [Officer in Charge] of a PPVC be
reviewed with a view to highlighting the necessity to ensure that all
procedures and practices are consistent with the requirements of the Electoral
Act. In particular, the need to ensure the integrity of the ballot papers and
ballot boxes should be given special prominence in training materials and in
working manuals used at a PPVC.
- That a highly visible
stick-on label be attached to each ballot box used in a PPVC at the time it is
first sealed (perhaps adjacent to each side seal), that makes clear that the
ballot box is not, on any account, to be opened.
- That the record of
ballot boxes and security seals form be routinely examined by divisional staff
either when visiting a PPVC or by means of a fax or scanned copy in relation to
PPVCs located in country regions. This practice should be included in the
operating manuals for DROs and their staff.[11]
1.18
In its report on the 2010 federal election, the committee notes that
these recommendations were supported by the Liberal Party of Australia and the
Australian Labor Party stating:
While submitters were troubled that the incidents had
occurred, most were of the view that the AEC took appropriate steps to ensure
that the events were reported in a transparent manner and that prompt action
was taken to investigate and address the causes.[12]
1.19
In its submission to the 2010 federal election inquiry, the AEC advised
that the three person Electoral Commission met formally and accepted all three
recommendations in the Gray report. The AEC recommended:
…that the Commonwealth Electoral Act and the Referendum
(Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 should be amended to specifically provide
that a ballot box may not be opened before the close of polling other than in
accordance with the provisions of the Commonwealth Electoral Act, and that a
savings provision in the event of an official error be included.[13]
1.20
The committee agreed in its 2010 federal election report that the
Electoral and Referendum Acts should be amended so that a ballot box may not be
opened before the poll closes (Recommendation 9). The committee did not agree
however that a savings provision is necessary stating that ‘…the AEC must
ensure that circumstances such as those that occurred in Boothby and Flynn do
not reoccur.’[14]
Pre-poll voting arrangements
1.21
The Bill provides that applicants for a pre-poll ordinary vote will no
longer need to complete and sign a certificate. In his second reading speech,
the Minister commented that ‘this requirement is not consistent with other
forms of ordinary voting which only require a verbal declaration, does not
serve a useful purpose and will be omitted by this bill’.[15]
1.22
This provision of the Bill implements recommendation 10 of the
committee’s report on the 2010 federal election.[16]
1.23
Item 12 repeals paragraph 200DH of the Electoral Act requiring an
applicant for a pre-poll ordinary vote to complete and sign a certificate.
Items 8 to 11, 13 to 23, and 27 and 28 are consequential to item 12. Many of
these items replace the term ‘issuing officer’ with ‘voting officer’. This is
because the concept of an issuing officer is no longer relevant if certificates
are no longer required. An issuing officer is a subset of voting officer.[17]
1.24
Item 40 repeals section 73CH of the Referendum Act requiring an
applicant for a pre-poll ordinary vote to complete and sign a certificate.
Items 29 to 31, 35 to 39, 41 to 48 and 51 and 52 are consequential to item 40,
including the substitution of ‘issuing officer’ for ‘voting officer’.[18]
1.25
The 2010 federal election was the first to have pre-poll ordinary
voting. The committee notes in its report on the 2010 election that despite the
mishandling of pre-poll votes in Boothby and Flynn, pre-poll ordinary voting
proceeded without incident in all other locations.[19]
1.26
In its submission to the 2010 federal election inquiry, the AEC notes
the overall success of pre-poll ordinary voting and that 996 875 home division
pre-poll votes were cast in 2010, representing 28.5 per cent of all early votes
in this election.[20]
1.27
The AEC further submitted to the 2010 federal election inquiry that including
those home division pre-poll votes cast as ordinary votes, it counted more than
11 million votes on polling night, which is around one million more votes than
were counted on polling night at the 2007 federal election.[21]
1.28
The committee comments in its 2010 federal election report that:
Issuing pre-poll votes as ordinary votes and counting them on
polling night removes the need for the votes to be placed in envelopes and
transported to the divisional offices. Further, it takes away the requirement
for them to be put through time consuming preliminary scrutiny procedures, thus
speeding up the count and allowing more resources to be devoted to other tasks.[22]
1.29
The Liberal Party of Australia welcomed the new pre-poll arrangements
which allowed pre‐poll
votes cast in their home division to be counted on election night. The Liberal
Party stated:
It is undoubtedly advantageous that a significant number of
votes are able to be included in the results on the night. Our scrutineers
confirmed that, on the whole, the count of pre‐poll
votes proceeded smoothly and without disruption to the count of ordinary votes.[23]
1.30
The AEC submitted to the 2010 federal election inquiry that the practice
of requiring electors to complete and sign a declaration when casting ordinary
votes was an unnecessary step. It suggested that removing this requirement
could potentially speed up the issuing process. The AEC also noted that written
declarations are no longer required in a number of state and territory
jurisdictions, with no issues of integrity having been reported.[24]
1.31
In making recommendation 10 in its majority report on the 2010 federal
election, the committee notes:
… the obvious success of the move to issuing pre-poll
ordinary votes, and is confident that there is no justifiable reason for
retaining the written declaration for pre-poll votes issued as ordinary votes.[25]
1.32
However the committee acknowledges in relation to the written
declaration requirements for pre-poll that:
Opposition Committee members feel that section 200DH of the
Commonwealth Electoral Act being repealed will increase the likelihood of voter
fraud and threaten the integrity of the electoral roll. Providing a signature
when placing a pre-poll vote is not an onerous responsibility for the elector
and Opposition members believe there is not only no reason to repeal this
section of the Commonwealth Electoral Act but doing so could lead to an
increase in fraudulent voting. Opposition Committee members therefore reject
Recommendation 10.[26]
1.33
The Bill also provides that pre-poll voting cannot commence earlier than
four days after the declaration of nominations for an election or by-election.[27]
1.34
In his second reading speech, the Minister stated that:
Depending on the type of election, whether it is for the
House of Representatives or the Senate or both, the act currently provides
different days for the commencement of prepoll voting and very minimal times
are provided for the Australian Electoral Commission to print and distribute
ballot materials to early voting centres across Australia in time for polling
to commence. This is a sensible small amendment which provides a consistent
time frame for when prepoll voting can commence.[28]
1.35
Items 6 and 7 amend subsections 200D(4) and (5) of the Electoral Act to
delay the making of pre-poll applications until the fourth day after
nominations are declared.[29] Items 33 and 34 make
equivalent amendments to subsections 73B(4) and (5) of the Referendum Act so
that if a referendum is held in conjunction with an election, voting for both
will commence at the same time.[30]
1.36
This provision of the Bill implements recommendation 11 of the
committee’s report on the 2010 federal election in which the committee
concluded that ‘an application for a pre-poll vote should not be made prior to
the Monday, 19 days before polling day’.[31]
1.37
The AEC recommended changing the timetable for the commencement of
pre-poll voting in its submission to the 2010 federal election inquiry. The AEC
commented on the logistical difficulties in distributing more than
43 million ballot papers along with Senate group voting ticket booklets. The
AEC further submitted that just 24 hours is available after the deadline for
the lodgement of group voting tickets before pre-poll voting can commence.[32]
1.38
The committee states in its 2010 federal election report that it ‘understands
the complexities involved in preparing, printing and distributing ballot papers
in the short window of opportunity that exists following the deadline for the
lodgement of group voting tickets’.[33]
Postal voting deadline
1.39
The Bill provides that the deadline for the receipt of applications for
postal votes will be brought forward by one day to 6 pm on the Wednesday three
days before polling day.
1.40
This amendment is described in the EM as:
…a practical amendment that reflects the reality that there
is limited chance of electors receiving postal voting materials that are sent
out after the current deadline of 6pm on the Thursday before polling day. The
existing deadline is potentially misleading to electors who might expect that
as long as they have met the deadline, they will receive their postal voting
materials in time for them to be able to cast their vote before the close of
polling.[34]
1.41
Item 1 (Schedule 2) amends subsection 184(5) of the Electoral Act by
omitting the words ‘Thursday that is 2 days’ and substituting ‘Wednesday that
is 3 days’. This item therefore brings forward the deadline for applications
for postal votes by one day. Items 2 and 3 are consequential to item 1 and make
the same substitution to subsection 188(4) of the Electoral Act.[35]
1.42
Item 4 also substitutes ‘Wednesday that is 3 days’ in subsection 55(5)
of the Referendum Act so that the PVA deadline is also one day earlier in
referendum polls. Items 5 and 6 are consequential to item 4 and make the same substitution
to subsection 61(2B).[36]
1.43
Postal voting continues to increase at every election. The AEC submitted
to the 2010 federal election inquiry that it issued 133 832 more postal votes
in 2010 than it did in 2007. The AEC further advised in that submission that for
the 2010 election it received 821 836 postal vote applications (PVAs) in
addition to 209 426 GPVs registered, totalling 1 031 262 applications in all. The
AEC also issued 957 322 postal voting packs (PVPs) in 2010, with another 9 252
PVPs issued at overseas posts.[37]
1.44
In its submission to the 2010 federal election inquiry, the AEC stated:
Under current arrangements, an application for a postal vote
may be made up until 6 pm on the Thursday before polling day. Statistics for
the 2010 federal election show that PVPs sent in response to PVAs received on
the Thursday before polling have a limited chance of being received by the
voter in time for them to complete and return them to the AEC, whereas a far
higher percentage of those issued in the 24 hour period prior to that are
received back in time to be admitted to the count. The AEC is concerned that by
having a deadline so close to polling day electors may be misled into thinking
that they will receive their ballot papers in time to complete and return them
before the close of polling, when the reality it is that in many cases they
will not.[38]
1.45
The AEC submitted to the 2010 federal election inquiry that the cut off
time for PVAs should be one day earlier, consistent with the current provision
in New South Wales.[39] The committee agreed in
its 2010 federal election report (Recommendation 15).[40]
1.46
Opposition members of the committee expressed reservations, asserting
that:
…moving the day for postal vote applications to be received
from 6 pm Thursday before polling day to 6 pm Wednesday before polling day will
disadvantage postal voters by giving them less time to send in their
application. Postal voters are well aware that there can be a delay in
processing forms and leaving it late could mean they don’t receive their ballot
papers on time. However, it is better to focus on the efficiency of the AEC in
processing these forms rather than giving electors less time to send in their
application. The task of the AEC is to serve voters, not to make their own job easier.[41]
1.47
These amendments will apply to any elections or referendums for which
the writs are issued on or after 1 January 2014.[42]
Electoral boundary redistributions
1.48
The Bill provides that the augmented Electoral Commission will have
additional fixed periods to consider further objections to proposed electoral
boundary redistributions.[43] This is in response to
recommendations 29 and 30 of the committee’s report on the 2010 federal
election.
1.49
In its submission to the 2010 federal election inquiry the AEC notes:
…the difficulties encountered delivering a redistribution
according to the timetable specified in the Commonwealth Electoral Act, in
situations where the proposed redistribution formed by the augmented Electoral
Commission differs significantly from that proposed by the Redistribution
Committee.[44]
1.50
The redistribution process is commenced by a body comprising the
Electoral Commissioner, the Australian Electoral Officer for the State and the
Surveyor-General and Auditor-General for the State; which under subsection
60(2) of the Electoral Act is described as the Redistribution Committee. Under
section 70 the redistribution process is concluded by a body comprising the
Redistribution Committee with the addition of the Chairperson of the Electoral
Commission and another member of the Electoral Commission. This is the
‘augmented Electoral Commission’.[45]
1.51
The AEC submitted to the 2010 federal election inquiry that the period
during which the augmented Electoral Commission is required to consider
objections to the Redistribution Committee’s proposed redistribution, hold an
inquiry into the objections, form its own proposed redistribution and call for
further objections, then hold a further inquiry into the further objections and
make a final decision, is not sufficient.[46]
1.52
The Electoral Act specifies a maximum of 60 days after the period for
comments has ended for the augmented Electoral Commission to complete inquiries
into initial and further objections to a redistribution.[47]
The AEC recommended an increase of 42 days to allow the augmented Electoral
Commission to adequately discharge its duties.[48]
1.53
Initial objections to the Redistribution Committee proposal will still
be considered by the augmented Electoral Commission no later than 60 days after
the end of the initial comments period.
1.54
Items 1-4 of the Bill amend section 72 of the Electoral Act and provide
an additional seven days for further objections to be received by the augmented
Electoral Commission if it announces a redistribution proposal (in which
initial objections are considered) that is ‘significantly different’ from that
of the Redistribution Committee. An additional 14 day period is then provided
for consideration of further objections.[49]
1.55
The committee agreed in its 2010 federal election report that ‘…the
timetable should be varied according to circumstances’. However, the committee
further stated that it:
… has not formed a firm view about how many days should be
provided additional to the sixty day period already specified following the end
of the comments period on objections. The Committee therefore does not seek to
specify the number of days, preferring that the additional period be the
subject of further discussion between the AEC and the responsible Minister.[50]
Use of taxpayer information
1.56
The Bill amends the Taxation Administration Act to allow the
Commissioner of Taxation and other taxation officers to provide some forms of
taxpayer information to the Australian Electoral Commission for the purposes of
administering the Electoral Act and Referendum Act.
1.57
In his second reading speech, the Minister said:
In the 2010 joint standing committee report, the committee
made three recommendations related to maintaining the electoral roll. This Bill
includes the last of those three measures: a recommendation to allow the
Australian Taxation Office to provide enrolment relevant personal information
to the Australian Electoral Commission.
Although it is a small amendment on the face of this Bill, it
is another important step in assisting the Australian Electoral Commission to
deliver the most inclusive electoral roll and the government is proud to be
able to deliver this change.[51]
1.58
The last of these measures cited by the Minister, which is implemented
by the Bill, is Recommendation 3 (see paragraph 1.5).
1.59
Item 53 introduces a new exception to section 355-25 of Schedule 1 to
the Taxation Administration Act. Subject to a range of specific exceptions to
facilitate efficient and effective government administration and law
enforcement, this section makes it an offence for taxation officers to record
or disclose protected information.[52]
1.60
The new exception ensures that it will not be an offence for a taxation
officer to make a record for, or a disclosure to, the Electoral Commissioner if
the record or disclosure:
- is of information
that the Commissioner of Taxation has obtained since the commencement of this
item; and
- is for the purpose of
administering the Electoral Act or the Referendum Act.[53]
1.61
This will allow the ATO to provide otherwise protected information (such
as the names and addresses of taxpayers) to the AEC to maintain the veracity of
the electoral roll. However, this exception will not apply to information
collected by the ATO before this provision comes into effect.
1.62
Related to this provision is Recommendation 1 of the 2010 federal
election report:
The Committee recommends that, wherever appropriate, the Commonwealth
Electoral Act 1918 should be amended to allow the Australian Electoral
Commission (AEC) to directly enrol eligible electors on the basis of data or
information provided by an elector or electors to an agency approved by the
AEC, as an agency which performs adequate proof of identity checks, where that
information is subsequently provided by that agency to the AEC for the purposes
of updating the electoral roll. Approval of such agencies by the AEC should be
made by disallowable instrument.[54]
1.63
Recommendation 1 was implemented by the Electoral and Referendum
Amendment (Protecting Elector Participation) Bill 2012, which was the
subject of inquiry and report by the committee. The recommendation by the
committee in that report was that the Bill be passed as proposed.[55]
1.64
The Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Protecting Elector
Participation) Bill 2012 thus empowers the AEC to directly enrol eligible
electors using information about these individuals from another agency. This
ability was dependent on the commencement of the Electoral and Referendum
Amendment (Maintaining Address) Bill 2011. That Bill enabled the Electoral
Commissioner to directly update address details using reliable outside
information and was also the subject of inquiry by the committee.[56]
1.65
In its report on the 2010 federal election, the committee comments on
the maintenance of the electoral roll and notes concerns that enrolment
participation rates have declined. This is ‘despite ongoing efforts on the part
of the AEC to arrest it using measures currently permitted under the
Commonwealth Electoral Act’.[57]
1.66
Recommendations 1, 2 and 3 of the report on the 2010 federal election
addressed enrolment decline. The committee stated:
The majority of the Committee accepts that the Commonwealth
should adopt a model that allows direct enrolment of electors on the basis of
accurate and reliable data provided to the AEC, and the direct update of
enrolment details based on that same data wherever required.[58]
1.67
In contrast, Opposition members of the committee have taken the view:
…that the only data that should be truly relied upon is an
individual elector’s enrolment form when they join the roll or update their
details. They felt that relying on any other information would dramatically
reduce the integrity of the roll.[59]
1.68
In making recommendation 3 in its 2010 federal election report, the
committee noted:
…the assistance being provided to the AEC by the ATO in
notifying people who have advised the ATO of a change of address that they
should also update their enrolment details. The Committee is also aware that
cooperation beyond that is limited, as data sharing arrangements between the
AEC and the ATO are not currently permissible. The Committee believes that if
the ATO were permitted to share enrolment relevant data with the AEC it would
provide a genuine and lasting improvement to roll maintenance processes and
roll integrity.[60]
Other amendments
1.69
Item 5 amends subsection 185(3)(b) of the Electoral Act. This provides
that silent electors under section 104 of the Electoral Act (ie persons whose
addresses have been excluded from the roll for personal or family safety
reasons) who are registered general postal voters (GPVs) will have their GPV
registration automatically carry across with any change of enrolment.[61]
1.70
This amendment complements provisions in the previous Electoral and
Referendum Amendment (Improving Electoral Procedure) Bill 2012 that silent
electors who change address will have their registration as a silent elector
automatically carried across with their transfer of enrolment.
Date of effect
1.71
The measures in Schedule 1 of the Bill will commence on the day after the
Act receives Royal Assent. The measures in Schedule 2 will commence on 1
January 2014.
Objective and conduct of the inquiry
1.72
The objective of the inquiry is to investigate the adequacy of the Bill
in achieving its policy objectives and, where possible, identify any unintended
consequences.
1.73
Details of the inquiry were placed on the committee’s website. On
6 December 2012 the Committee Chair, Daryl Melham MP, issued a media release
announcing the inquiry and seeking submissions. The committee received five
submissions. These are listed at Appendix A.
1.74
A public hearing was held in Canberra on 4 February 2013. A list of the
witnesses who appeared at the hearing are available at Appendix B. Submissions
and the transcript of evidence are available on the committee’s website at:
www.aph.gov.au/em.
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